


The Reckless (The Wild Youth)

by BroadwayItBitch



Series: Exchanges [1]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Lesbian Amber (Andi Mack), Pansexual Andi Mack, Reunions, T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 17:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17943947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayItBitch/pseuds/BroadwayItBitch
Summary: Amber Kippen and Andi Mack have been friends since 2nd grade, and they've always supported each other. But when they were in high school, Amber moved away, making Andi feel alone.Now, 10 years after Amber left, Andi feels a force to connect with Amber again





	The Reckless (The Wild Youth)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deflectrunes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deflectrunes/gifts).



> this was supposed to be for the valentine's exchange, but writer's block hit me hard the past couple weeks.

**Age 6**

 

Andi was just starting out on school. She was new, at first being homeschooled by her mother, Celia Mack.

 

Andi was being dropped off at the classroom. She clung to her father’s leg with death grip, not wanting to go.

 

“No, I don’t wanna go!” Andi screamed. Ham tried to console his daughter by working his hands through her hair.

 

“Andi, it’ll be just for today,” Ham replied calmly. “I’ll be back to pick you up.”

 

Andi fervently protested. “Daddy, don’t let me go!”

 

Ham leaned down to face her.

 

“Andi, it’s going to be okay,” He said. “I’m sure you’ll make new friends. And if you feel that you wanna be homeschooled again, say the word.”

 

Andi wiped away at her tears, looking to the classroom.

 

“I’m gonna go, okay? Ask your teacher if you need anything.”

 

Andi nodded, but she still felt sad. So small.

 

Ham walked out and Andi goes over to her desk, in the corner of the room.

 

“Hi,” Another person said. Andi looked over to the left side of her desk to see another girl her age. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, almost like the color of the ocean. “I’m Amber. What’s your name?”

 

Andi shivered. “Andi.”

 

Amber smiled, standing up and walking to Andi, giving her a hug. “Well, Andi, I think we’re gonna be great friends.”

 

Andi smiled for the first time that day.

 

\--------------------

 

Andi and Amber had their first sleepover today. Andi’s never had a sleepover before because her mom was so strict. The six year olds were in a store with Andi’s mother.

 

“Andi, check this out!” Amber called, her short blonde hair swinging as she turns her head.

 

Andi ran over and Amber held out a bracelet making kit.

 

“Cool!” Andi said, taking the kit. “I’m asking Mom if I can get it!”

 

Andi ran up to her mother with the kit in her hands. “Mom, can I get this, please?”

 

Celia looked down at Andi, taking the kit from her and squinting at it.

 

“Yes, you may get it,” Celia replied, handing Andi the bracelet making kit back.

 

Andi squealed. Sometimes it takes days for Celia to get something that Andi likes, but since Andi was doing really well for her first few months of 2nd grade, Celia promised to get her a gift.

 

“Amber! I can get it!” Andi said over to Amber.

 

“Okay, let’s go, girls!” Celia scolded.

 

The girls catch up next to Celia, paying for the kit and leaving the store.

 

\--------------------

 

When they got home, Andi and Amber ran up the stairs to Andi’s room. Celia’s yells for them to slow down fell upon deaf ears once Andi got to work.

 

They sat on the bed and Andi started making Amber the bracelet.

 

“Pick your colors!” Andi said, opening the bracelet kit.

 

Amber picks out the colors green, purple and pink.

 

Andi took the strings of thread, braiding them together.

 

“How’s your sister?” Amber asked. Andi shrugged.

 

“I dunno, I haven’t seen her in months,” She said. “But I just got a new scarf from her trip to Cali!”

 

Andi dropped the bracelet on her bed, running over to her closet and grabbing a scarf.

 

“Cool!” Amber said. “I wish I had a sister. I hate having a little brother. He’s so annoying.”

  
Andi sat back on the bed, working on the bracelet again.

 

“I wish I could have a little brother. I keep asking Mom if I could have one, but she keeps saying no.”

 

Andi finished off the bracelet, tying the ends together. She puts it on Amber’s wrist.

 

“I’ll make one for myself. Best friend bracelets!”

 

The girls squeal.

 

Andi ended up making a matching bracelet.

 

\--------------------

 

**Age 13**

 

Andi called Amber in the middle of the night. Turns out her 13th birthday wasn’t so special after all.

 

“Andi, what is it?” Amber asked concernedly.

 

Andi gulped. “Can you come over?”

 

Amber sighed. “I dunno, Andiman, my parents are out and-”

 

Andi sniffled. “Please, Amb, please,” She pleaded.

 

The call abruptly ended and Andi felt so small.

 

She curled herself into a ball, tears streaming down her face and onto her neck.

 

About a few minutes later, pebbles are being thrown to her window. The clacking of the glass startled Andi.

 

Andi got up from her bed and walked over to the window. Amber is standing outside, her big jacket taking up most of her frame.

 

“You gonna let me in or what?” Amber jokingly asked.

 

Andi opened the window carefully and grabs a rope ladder that Celia made in case of a fire, but Andi used it for other purposes. She attached it to the windowsill and let it down.

 

Amber grabbed at the ropes, climbing up to the window.

 

When she makes it up the ladder, Andi pulled her into her room.

 

“I’m sorry I woke you, I just, I couldn’t sleep and I’m having a hard day and, fuck… I just needed someone to talk to,” Andi babbled.

 

Amber looked at her in concern.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. You know that you can always talk to me. Or even your family.”

 

Andi huffed. “My family is the problem, Amber.”

 

Amber’s eyebrows rose in confusion.

 

“First, I had a bad time with Jonah Beck, then my mom didn’t like the fact that my sister was home for good.”

 

Amber hasn’t seen Andi this angry in years. The last time she saw her this pissed, they were 8 and Andi stuck up for Amber and her dignity by slapping the kid that was harassing her.

 

“You haven’t even heard the worst part,” Andi paused. “My sister is my mother, my mother is my grandmother and my father is my grandfather.”

 

Amber gasped.

 

“My family has lied to me my whole life, Amb. I can’t trust anyone anymore.”

 

Amber moved in front of Andi, placing her hands on Andi’s cheeks.

 

“You can trust me. And you have Cyrus and Buffy,” Amber replied, wiping Andi’s tears away with her thumbs. Andi doesn’t believe her. “What can I do to make you trust me?”

 

Andi gulped again.

 

“Can… can you kiss me?” Amber was taken aback at the request.

 

But nonetheless, Amber kept her promise. Amber Kippen never goes back on a promise.

 

Their lips attach for a peck. The quick kiss assured Andi however.

 

“See? You can trust me,” Amber said with a smile.

 

Andi let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Amber.”

 

Amber stroked Andi’s cheeks in reassurance. “Anytime, Andiman. You can always come to me if you need anything.”

 

Andi moved away from Amber, settling herself on the bed.

 

“Do you need anything else now?” Amber sweetly asked.

 

Andi shook her head no. “I think I’ll be fine.”

 

Amber nodded her head. “Call again, okay?”

 

“I will.”

 

Amber let Andi’s room out the window, closing it behind her.

 

Andi fell asleep, feeling a bit better.

 

\--------------------

 

Andi looked at Bex and Bowie slow dancing. Finally, they were married.

 

Andi longed to dance with someone. To be held.

 

She looks over to TJ and Cyrus, who are dancing. Cyrus’ head is resting on TJ’s chest and TJ kissed Cyrus’ forehead.

 

Then she looked at Jonah and Buffy. Jonah didn’t come with a date so Buffy ditched her date with Marty to dance with him. It was sweet.

 

And then she looked at Amber. Amber looked amazing in her velvet purple dress and her hair was in a braid, tied at the ends with a matching ribbon.

 

She looked beautiful.

 

Andi walked over to her, smiling.

 

“Having fun?” Andi asked.

 

“Hell yeah, this is great. Thanks for inviting me,” Amber replied.

 

Andi looks back at the dance floor. “Is your date here?”

 

Amber shakes her head. “No, I don’t have a date.”

 

Andi blushed. “Would you like to dance with me?”

 

Andi held out her hand and Amber grabbed it. The short-haired girl leads her to the dance floor, facing Amber. Andi placed her hands on Amber’s hips and Amber moved her arms to Andi’s shoulders.

 

They sway to the sound of the music. It felt as if all the worries of the world melted away.

 

The girls smile to each other.

 

It felt like they were unstoppable.

 

\--------------------

 

**Age 16**

 

Amber had been getting roles for school musicals and plays for the past few months. Amber’s schedule has been taken up by auditions or rehearsals or work.

 

Now Andi and Amber had time to themselves. Finally.

 

“My parents are divorcing,” Amber said.

 

Andi’s eyes widen. She remembered all the nights Andi held her as Amber cried her eyes out.

 

“I’m still gonna live here, I know that. With my mom and TJ,” Amber explained. “And my dad, he’s moving to Arizona.”

 

Andi grabbed her hand. “You’re gonna be okay. We’re okay.”

 

Andi kissed Amber’s forehead.

 

“Remember how we’d do each other’s hair when we were sad?” Amber asked.

 

“Of course,” Andi replied.

 

Amber turned around, facing the wall. Andi took out a hairbrush from her bedside drawer.

 

Andi dragged the hairbrush through Amber’s golden locks. Some broken pieces of her hair fell on the bed, but Andi can clean it up later.

 

“Braid or ponytail?” Andi asked.

 

“Braid? Please?” Amber replied in a question.

 

Andi hummed a laugh, setting the brush down. “Anything for you,” She said, sectioning off Amber’s hair in three parts.

 

Andi twisted Amber’s hair into the braid, stopping every now and then to brush out some tangles.

 

Once she got to the ends, she grabbed a hair tie from her wrist.

 

“Hey, Andi?” Amber said.

 

“Hmm?” Andi hummed as she twists the hair tie.

 

“I love you.”

 

Andi smiled. “I love you, too.”

 

\--------------------

 

“I’m moving,” Amber blurted out at school.

 

Andi couldn’t believe it. Her mouth just dropped open.

 

“What?” Andi said.

 

“I’m moving in with my dad.”

 

Andi fervently shakes her head. “No, you can’t move! We have so many plans!”

 

Amber sighed. “I’m sorry, Andiman. It’s not my call, I’m still a minor.”

 

Andi starts to cry.

 

“Andi, I know this sucks. But you can move down with me once you graduate,” Amber moved next to Andi. “And we can FaceTime, text, call and maybe I can visit.”

 

Andi tried to believe her. She really does.

 

“In words of Dimitri from Anastasia, in a crowd of thousands, I’ll find you again.”

 

Maybe it won’t be the end of the world.

 

“Okay?” Amber questioned.

 

“Okay,” Andi confirmed. “I’ll miss you.”

 

Andi knew it wouldn’t last long.

 

\--------------------

 

**Age 26**

 

Andi was about to make a new review for her Tumblr page. Another movie came out this month and it was beginning to take a toll on Andi’s stress.

 

She wondered what to write about the movie. Dammit, she always did this before posting her review.

 

But she went ahead on typing.

 

**_Hey, guys, Celia Quinn again! I just recently saw the movie ‘The Reckless’ and I must say, I was truly blown away by the performance of the cast._ **

 

**_Let’s talk about the synopsis really quick: A girl named Louisa is struggling with her sexuality after meeting Morgan, a girl her age._ **

 

**_So it sounds like a short film description, but it goes into way more depth!_ **

 

**_My favorite scene was when Louisa confessed her feelings. It was truly a tear jerker._ **

 

**_My least favorite was the coming out scene. It seemed like there wasn’t proper emotion as Morgan’s mother, Jo, was screaming at her._ **

 

**_And now onto the cast. I must say, Lillie Lorens was a great Morgan! I could really feel for her when she was kicked out. I thought that because Lillie was a newcomer, she wouldn’t do well, but I was pleasantly surprised. Need more actors like her!_ **

 

**_And then we have the straight best friend, Lee, played by Luca Clements. Luca is also a newcomer, but had experiences in acting beforehand. I say that he did very well!_ **

 

**_And lastly, we have Amber Kippen._ **

 

Andi faltered when she types Amber’s name in the post.

 

**_Amber Kippen, as you know, is an Academy Award winning actress. She was phenomenal as Louisa! Her acting ability is great! And while there are some rough patches I would recommend fixing, I would not change a thing about Louisa’s actress._ **

 

**_And that is what I thought of ‘The Reckless’! Please follow my blog for more reviews!_ **

 

And then Andi pressed the post button.

 

Andi shut her laptop and slumped in her seat. She’s been working all day as Celia Quinn, the alias she made for herself.

 

But whenever she knew that Amber was in a movie or show, she would dread reviewing the project.

 

Andi hasn’t seen Amber since she moved to Arizona. Yes, they called here and there, but the promises to visit were never fulfilled.

 

But ever since Andi’s junior year, the phone calls and the texts began to diminish until they stopped.

 

Andi’s phone beeped and she groaned. She hoped it wasn’t a fan question because she didn’t want to answer any questions at the moment.

 

But when she turned it on, she saw a text from Buffy.

 

**_Slayer: Check out Wild Message Media and their interview with Amber! I think you’ll be happy._ **

 

Attached at the bottom of the text was a link to the interview.

 

Andi sighed, but clicked it anyway.

 

It started out with the interviewer asking about the audition process, where Amber was from and that sort of thing.

 

“ _So, where’d you get the inspiration for Louisa’s character? Like is her personality from someone else?_ ”

 

Amber chuckled. “ _Louisa’s personality is actually a lot like one of my old friend’s in my hometown. Her name’s Andi. So I basically channeled her energy into Louisa._ ”

 

Andi gasped at the mention of her name.

 

“ _We haven’t seen each other in a long time, but I hope she’s doing okay._ ”

 

Andi’s heart broke. Every time her finger hovered over Amber’s name in her contacts, she wanted to call her. But she didn’t know if Amber would answer or if someone on the other line would say, ‘hey, wrong number’.

 

Andi pulled up her Snapchat, getting the group chat she had with Cyrus, Buffy, Jonah and Walker.

 

**_The Good Hair Crew + Wonah_ **

 

**_Andiman: Can I get some advice?_ **

 

**_Slayer: Wassup?_ **

 

**_Andiman: I was thinking about having an interview with Amber. Should I do it?_ **

 

**_Cyrus Gayman: YES DO IT_ **

 

**_JoJo: damn cyrus, u excited much_ **

 

**_Cyrus Gayman: Sry_ **

 

**_Walkman: I would say do it. She has a Tumblr. Just message her._ **

 

**_JoJo: i agree w/ walker_ **

 

**_Slayer: Jonah, you always agree with Walker._ **

 

**_JoJo: u right tho_ **

 

**_Andiman: Buffy, what do you say?_ **

 

**_Slayer: I think you should do it. I know me and Amber didn’t get along, but you should do it._ **

 

**_Andiman: Thanks. I’ll message her._ **

 

Andi sighed again. It was gonna be a tough time doing this.

 

\--------------------

 

Amber was about to start a livestream. She did this to answer fan questions and also please her manager. Amber didn’t like doing what she was told, but sometimes it had good outcomes.

 

Amber wished she would stand up to Lorraine, but if she did, Lorraine would make her life hell.

 

She was about to press record when she got a message on Tumblr.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Hi! My name is Celia Quinn and I was wondering if I can get an exclusive interview with you? Just message me back so I know you’re in!_ **

 

Celia Quinn.

 

Amber knew who Celia was due to all the publicity with her reviews. And Amber loved her reviews, reading every one of them carefully when they came out.

 

Amber messaged back.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Sure, I’d be happy to do it. Just let me know when you’re available._ **

 

A response came back.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Is Friday at noon ok??_ **

 

Amber looked at her calendar, noticing that there was no plans.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Sounds good!_ **

 

Amber decided not to give Lorraine a text to let her know of the plan. As far as Lorraine knew, Fridays were her days off.

 

Amber has made a household name for herself since she was 18. Her first role got her nominated for an Emmy. She didn’t think she’d do well, but everyone loved her.

 

But she was still a human. She still wanted to live life as a regular 27 year old. She wanted to have a relationship.

 

\--------------------

Friday seemed to roll around faster than Andi had thought. Her anxiety bubbled up inside her over what she was going to do.

 

She typed out a message to Amber.

 

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Hey, ready to get this started?_ **

 

The response came back

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Hell yeah!_ **

 

Amber obviously still had that fiery attitude. Andi missed that.

 

Andi typed back with a question.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: What or who inspired you to start acting?_ **

 

Andi has so many questions she wants to ask Amber, but she had to keep the facade.

 

She had her notepad ready to write in Amber’s answers.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: My brother encouraged me to go out for school plays and stuff like that when I was in 8th grade, and my mom booked several commercial roles for me._ **

 

Andi smiled. She remembered when Amber got the role as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. Her face shined bright when she found out.

 

She wrote the answer down in her book.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: How old were you when you started acting? Like before acting professionally?_ **

 

It felt strange talking with Amber again. Andi remembered the late night texts she sent regarding all the problems she spilled to her that Buffy or Cyrus probably couldn’t understand.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: I was about 14 when I started. I was part of dancing before then, and the theater department really wanted me to be part of them and I guess it sort of stuck._ **

 

Andi wrote Amber’s answer down.

 

She messaged her multiple questions. Andi found out some new things about Amber that had happened in the past 10 years.

 

But she had one more question.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: What was Andi like?_ **

 

Amber didn’t answer for 5 minutes.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Andi was awesome. She was my best friend from 2nd grade, all the way through her sophomore year and my junior year. But a few months after I moved away from my hometown, we lost touch._ **

 

Andi felt tears beading up in her eyes.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Shit. I’m sorry._ **

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: It’s okay. I hope she’s doing well._ **

 

‘ _I am, I’m just too much of a coward to talk to you,_ ’ Andi sniffled, wiping her face.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: I think that’s all the questions I have for you. Thank you for your time, Amber. If you want, I can post this here._ **

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: You can post it. And you’re welcome. Please message me if you want to talk about anything, Celia._ **

 

The emotions Andi was feeling overwhelmed her. Talking to Amber and lying to her.

 

Andi’s feelings overcame her and tears spilled over, dripping on her notebook.

 

The memories of Amber flooded her mind. When they first met, their first sleepover, Andi’s 13th birthday, the wedding, Amber leaving. Now they were talking again.

 

Andi had to get herself together.

 

\--------------------

 

Lorraine scheduled Amber to have a few auditions this week. That’s what she was like. A workaholic that gets her way.

 

“Amber, when you get in there, make sure not to blow it. The last role you got was atrocious.”

 

Amber sadly sighed.

 

“I mean, honestly, you just had to get a lesbian for a character. You can do better.”

 

Amber didn’t choose her manager, her mom and dad did. While still coming from a religious background, they wanted someone they thought they’d trust. So they chose Lorraine.

 

“I know, Lorraine. It won’t happen again,” Amber promised.

 

“Good.”

 

Lorraine didn’t know about the interview Amber had with Celia. And once Celia posted it, Amber didn’t care what Lorraine had to say.

 

It was all trial and error for Amber. She felt trapped by Lorraine.

 

\--------------------

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: So I’m about to post the interview. Any problems you want to address?_ **

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Nope, go ahead._ **

 

Andi exited the chatroom so she could copy and paste the interview in her post. She had it ready in her Google Docs, and she double-checked if she had typos or not. Andi right-clicked and dragged her mouse to copy it. She right-clicked again and pressed the copy button, going into the Tumblr tab and pasting it into the post.

 

Once again, she double-checked if she needed to change anything, and clicked into the tags. She tagged everything related to Amber and her movie.

 

Andi got it done. She didn’t have to talk to Amber again.

 

\--------------------

 

When Amber saw the interview on Celia’s blog, she squealed so loud, she thought her downstairs neighbor could hear her.

 

She felt that there was something about Celia, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

Amber read and reread the interview. She loved the passion being put into her hard work.

 

No matter what Lorraine said, she tried to be a good role model to everyone. Louisa was the biggest role she’s had.

 

But since Lorraine was a homophobic republican, she wanted to control all the aspects of Amber’s career.

 

It’s time to rebel. Amber’s had enough.

 

She decided to message Celia.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Hey, thanks for the interview! I hope we can talk again!_ **

 

Amber smiled when Celia messaged back.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: I don’t think that’s a good idea, Amber. I only asked for the interview._ **

 

Amber’s smile dissipates upon seeing Celia’s message.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Please? I wanna get to know you better._ **

 

Did that sound desperate? It probably did.

 

Celia didn’t message back.

 

\--------------------

 

Andi asked Cyrus to come over. After Amber’s messages, she needed some advice.

 

“Cyrus, what should I do?” Andi asked. “I haven’t talked to Amber in 10 years.”

 

Cyrus tsked. “Honestly, I think you did the right thing. Reaching out to her.”

 

Andi pulled her legs up, her knees to her chin.

 

“But, she doesn’t know that I’m the Andi everyone’s talking about. She knows me as Celia Quinn.”

 

Cyrus’ heart broke.

 

“Everyone knows me as that.”

 

Cyrus scooted next to her. “Andi, you knew that you had to talk to Amber at some point, one way or another.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “But I think you should tell her the truth. Not now, but soon.”

 

Andi leaned into Cyrus’ touch. The comforting feeling calmed her down a bit.

 

“Thanks, Cy. I’m glad you’re my friend.”

 

Cyrus smiled. “Ditto.”

 

\--------------------

 

Amber didn’t hear from Celia for three days. It was way too long. Amber thought Celia hated her now.

 

Until her phone vibrated.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Sorry. I had to take some time to figure out how to tell you this. This isn’t any half-assed thing._ **

 

Amber reread the message. Her heart pounded.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Okay, I’m listening._ **

 

Amber felt as if she were gonna die right there.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: I’m Andi Mack._ **

 

Shock rocked through Amber’s body. But when her sense of reality came back, she messaged Celia again.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: That’s impossible._ **

 

She felt that Celia was lying. She knew that in show business, people lie to get something.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Do you remember how we met? We met in 2nd grade when I was petrified on leaving Ham. You looked over to me and said “Well, Andi, I think we’re gonna be great friends.”_ **

 

Of course she remembered. But anyone could know that.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Or when I turned 13. I called you to come over and I cried to you about my problems. And when I didn’t believe you when you said I could trust you, I told you to kiss me._ **

 

Amber’s jaw dropped. No one else knew that.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Where are you? I need to see you._ **

 

\--------------------

 

Andi started to panic. She shouldn’t have told her the truth so soon.

 

Her breath came in short pants. She’s had panic attacks before, and she’s had them since Amber left.

 

But this one was more severe, one that she needed help to calm her down.

 

She quickly dialed Jonah’s number, him knowing the most about panic attacks.

 

He answered instantly.

 

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked.

 

“Jonah, I-I need help, p-please,” She cried.

 

“Whoa, hey, what’s going on?”

 

Andi sniffled. “Amber wants to meet m-me,” She said rapidly. “I-I don’t know wh-what to do.”

 

Jonah cleared his throat through the other line. “Andi, I need you to take a deep breath, okay? Can you do that?”

 

Andi took a deep breath, her airway being shut by her heaving.

 

“Good, just take deep breaths like that.”

 

Andi took another staggered breath, which was easier.

 

“Take another breath,” Jonah ordered and she obeyed. “Tell me what’s going on.”

 

Andi gulped. “I started messaging Amber as Celia and I told her the truth on who I am and she wants to meet me.”

 

“Oh, jeez.”

 

“What should I do, Jonah?” She asked.

 

“I think you should meet up with her.”

 

Andi sniffled again.

 

“Message her.”

 

“Okay… I’ll, um, I’ll message her.”

 

Jonah ended the call sort of abruptly, but it gave Andi a bit of confidence.

 

\--------------------

 

Amber sat at her laptop all day. She requested to Lorraine that she have a couple days off, which was permitted just as long as she applied for auditions.

 

She hadn’t heard from Celi- Andi for hours.

 

She remembered the times she and Andi spent together before Amber left.

 

But then she realized a pattern with Andi’s posts. They were all of Amber’s movies. She thought it was coincidental, but whenever Amber posted anything about being in a movie, Andi would post about it.

 

It all made sense.

 

She almost gave up hope until her phone dinged.

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Where are you right now?_ **

 

Amber sighed in relief.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: I’m in LA. You?_ **

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: Same. You know that little cafe, Sweet & Savory Coffee? Can we meet there?_ **

 

Amber smiled, tears almost building up in her eyes.

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Yeah. Meet up there on Friday?_ **

 

**_@CeliaQuinnReviews: At 4 work?_ **

 

**_@TheAmberKippen: Yeah, it works._ **

 

Amber felt elated, yet scared of seeing her friend again. She has a lot of apologizing to do.

 

\--------------------

 

Andi pondered if this was the right decision. Meeting Amber again.

 

Andi waited in the coffee shop. She waited since three o’clock. The door opened, ringing the bell. Andi looked over, seeing Amber.

 

Amber looked like she hadn’t changed in the past decade.

 

Amber looked around the coffee shop, until her gaze stopped at Andi.

 

Andi stood up, walking over to Amber as if she was one of those Australian TV personalities going to look at the animals.

 

“Hi,” Andi meekly said.

 

Amber didn’t say anything, but pulled Andi into a strong hug.

 

“Oh!” Andi exclaimed, but hugged Amber back.

 

Amber’s eyes stung with tears, the overwhelming feeling of seeing her old friend again filled her body.

 

“Hey, Andiman…”

 

This is when Andi broke down.

 

Tears flowed from her eyes, streaming down her face.

 

The two parted from the hug, wiping their tears away.

 

“Oh, my God,” Amber whispered. “Look at you.”

 

Andi chuckled.

 

In Amber’s eyes, Andi hadn’t changed. Her hair was still short, her sense of style looked like it hadn’t been altered. The only thing that changed was the fact that she was taller.

 

“You look amazing,” Amber said, grabbing Andi’s hand.

 

“So do you,” Andi replied. They sat at the table, and Andi doesn’t know what to ask first.

 

But luckily, Amber starts the conversation. “So… I know this is ten years late, but how are you?”

 

Andi chuckled again. “I, um, I’ve been good.”

 

Amber smiled. In all the interviews, this is the most real smile Amber’s done.

 

“How’s the family?” Amber asked.

 

“Good. Mom and Dad are on a six-month cruise. CeCe’s still in Shadyside.”

 

Andi’s smile faltered, however.

 

“How’s Ham? I missed him,” Amber reminisced, remembering his dumplings.

 

Andi looked down sadly. “He died. From leukemia. Just a couple years ago.”

 

Amber frowned. “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, Andi.”

 

“It’s okay. We still have him in our memories,” Andi gave a sad smile. “And his dumplings.”

 

Amber snickered.

 

“God, I shouldn’t be laughing,” Amber said.

 

“No, it’s okay. Ever since his funeral, no one’s really laughed about some of the things he did.”

 

A waitress came over, asking them what they’d wanted. Andi ordered a mocha, and Amber ordered the same thing.

 

“How’s the GHC?” Amber asked.

 

“They’re awesome. Jonah and Walker just got engaged and Buffy and Marty got married last winter.”

 

Amber didn’t think she’d miss the GHC when she moved.

 

“Cyrus runs the local GSA here and we volunteer from time to time,” She described as the waitress came by with their drinks.

 

“And what about you? What do you do?” Amber took a sip of her mocha

 

Andi giggled. “Well, I bartend here and there.”

 

Amber shifted in her seat. “What about Celia Quinn? What’s all that about?”

 

Andi faltered. “Celia was someone I made up. I was bored one day and made her up and made a Tumblr for her,” Andi explained. “I didn’t think she’d blow up as she did.”

 

Andi’s anxiety started to kick in.

 

“Celia Quinn Reviews, it was just a hobby. I made no money for it.”

 

Amber sadly looked at Andi.

 

“You also did reviews on all of my movies,” Amber pointed out. “It was really sweet. I read all of them.”

 

Andi shyly smiled, her heart warming.

 

Then a beep interrupts their moment, and Amber took out her phone.

 

“Who is it?” Andi asked.

 

“It’s TJ. He’s in a crisis with his boyfriend.”

 

Andi frowned, but perked up at the mention of TJ.

 

“Give me your number?” Amber asked, and Andi took a napkin and marker from her purse. Amber laughed, remembering how Andi would do that when they were kids.

 

Andi scrawled her phone number onto the napkin, and once she was done, she handed it to Amber.

 

“I’ll see you around, Andiman,” Amber’s smile was contagious. Andi swears that she hasn’t smiled this much in years.

 

They both said goodbye and Amber walked out of the cafe.

 

Andi didn’t die. Even though her brain was saying she was.

 

It wasn’t a big deal.

 

\--------------------

 

Amber and Andi talked every day now, but never dared to go out in public because of Lorraine.

 

Andi has asked Amber out for a drink at her place, wanting to spend more time together. So far, no answer, which is reasonable now that they were adults.

 

Andi was about to make herself dinner when she heard a knock at the door.

 

Andi grumbled, walking to the front door of her apartment. Upon opening it, her face lit up.

 

Amber was there, holding up a bottle of wine.

 

“Came prepared, I see,” Andi said, making Amber snicker.

 

“Yeah, well, you invited me for drinks.”

 

Andi snickered as well. She opened the door a little bit more, inviting Amber in.

 

“You can set the wine on the counter.”

 

Andi went into her freezer, grabbing a frozen pizza.

 

“Nice place,” Amber complimented.

 

Andi’s apartment was a studio, and she had to praise Walker for helping her furnish it. The walls were painted a pale pink, almost white, with posters of movies on the wall. The kitchen had a French theme to it, some silhouette stickers of the Eiffel Tower and other French landmarks above the sink. The living room/office/bedroom had a couch, now pulled out into a bed, and above the desk was her TV.

 

“Thanks, Dad helped me find it,” Andi preheated the oven, taking the pizza out of the plastic wrap. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.”

 

Amber made her way to the main part of the apartment, sitting down on the bed.

 

Andi opened a drawer, grabbing a corkscrew and grabbing the bottle of wine.

 

“I see you’re still quite the movie connoisseur,” Amber commented as Andi grabbed her expensive wine glasses from when she went to Italy for Buffy and Marty’s wedding.

 

“Yeah, I majored in film production in college,” Andi brought her rolling hardtop ottoman, setting the glasses down, as well as the wine. “I got a scholarship at UCLA.”

 

Amber hums. “Shit. I missed out a bunch.”

 

Andi shoved the corkscrew into the bottle, unscrewing the cork out of the neck of the bottle. The cork came out with a satisfying _POP_ sound.

 

“Where’d you get this?” Andi asked.

 

“TJ made it, he runs a vineyard out of town.”

 

Andi’s eyes widen.

 

“Haven’t you heard of it? _Tristan’s_?” Amber asked back.

 

“Oh, yeah! I know that one!” Andi poured the wine out. “How is he? You said there was a crisis when we were at the coffee shop.”

 

Amber grabbed her glass, swirling the wine around. “Yeah, his boyfriend hasn’t been good to him recently, and I’m doing my best to help him.”

 

Andi sadly sat down next to Amber, grabbing her glass and taking a sip.

 

“Does he have anyone to talk to? A therapist or something?”

 

Amber shook her head no. “He went back to the way he was when we moved. Became mean again. Cyrus was his rock. I guess without him, he wasn’t complete.”

 

Andi sighed. “Cyrus got really sad after you two left. And so did Buffy, Jonah, Walker and Marty,” Andi took another sip, and Amber did, too.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t visit,” A tear slipped out from Amber’s eye. “I was just so busy trying to help TJ and trying to make it.”

 

Andi set her glass down on the ottoman, and took Amber’s glass.

 

“Okay, we’re not getting drunk yet.”

 

Amber let the tears fall.

 

“God. It’s just so hard, Andi,” Amber admitted. “I hate my manager, she’s a bitch. But I can’t fire her because then my parents will disown me and TJ.”

 

Andi shushed her, bringing Amber into her arms.

 

“It’s gonna be okay,” Andi cooed. “Can you tell me what else is going on? I can tell it’s bugging you.”

 

Amber sniffed. “Lorraine, my manager, she’s been on edge about this whole ‘The-Reckless-Andi’ debacle,” She said. “She’s not happy that I played Louisa.”

 

“ _Ah. Homophobic,_ ” Andi thought to herself.

 

“But at this point, I don’t care. I want to be me. I want people to be themselves,” Amber kept going. “I want to make sure kids are getting the support they need.”

 

Andi soothed Amber by rubbing up and down her back. “Shh… it’s okay.”

 

Andi gets an idea.

 

“Can you sit up and turn around for me, Amb?”

 

Amber hesitantly complied, doing what Andi told her to do.

 

Andi went into her bedside drawer, grabbing a hairbrush. Amber laughed.

 

“Braid, ponytail or bun?” She offered.

 

“Ponytail,” Amber firmly said. Andi dragged the brush through Amber’s hair. “This is so surreal, Andiman. I missed this.”

 

Andi took a hair tie from her wrist, tightly grabbing Amber’s hair, and putting the hair tie in place.

 

“Me, too.”

 

Once Andi was done, Amber turned around and kissed Andi on the lips.

 

The world practically stopped, and Andi felt a sense of euphoria. The feeling of Amber’s lips on hers after thirteen years was unusual.

 

They part from the kiss, Andi being out of breath.

 

“Andi,” Amber murmured.

 

“Amber, what about your manager?”

 

Amber wetly laughed. “Who the fuck cares?”

 

They connect their lips again, moving in sync as they deepen the kiss, but Andi pulls away.

 

“Wait,” Andi said.

 

Amber looks at her concernedly. “What?”

 

“I need to think about this. About us.”

 

Amber stood up from the bed. “Okay. I just want you to know that I love you. No matter what you choose.”

 

Andi smiled at Amber, knowing that she has the support.

 

Amber walked to the door, but turned around. “Do you wanna have dinner at my place next Wednesday? I have plans I want to talk to you about.”

 

Andi confirmed by nodding and Amber left.

 

Andi sighed, standing from the bed and grabbing the wine bottle and glasses, pouring Amber’s wine into her glass and downing it in a few seconds.

 

She shuddered at the alcohol coursing through her. It’s not enough to get her drunk, but it does make her tipsy.

 

Andi placed the bottle and glasses on the counter, not bothering to seal the bottle or putting the glasses in the dishwasher.

 

Andi went back into the living room, grabbing her laptop and opening it to Tumblr.

 

And she began to type.

 

\--------------------

 

Amber woke up with a huge headache. Even though she didn’t get wine drunk, she got tequila drunk when she got home.

 

She’s never one to get hammered, but after the past few weeks, she needed something to take the edge off.

 

Though, when she turned on her phone, she noticed a bunch of texts from Lorraine.

 

**_Lorraine: Look online, Amber._ **

 

**_Lorraine: You are in huge trouble._ **

 

**_Lorraine: You couldn’t have kept your mouth shut?_ **

 

Amber sat up with a start.

 

She saw a notification to Andi’s Tumblr and she tapped it, opening it to the post.

 

What she read shocked her.

 

**_Hey. It’s me again. I don’t have a movie to review today. But I have a confession to make._ **

 

**_I am not Celia Quinn._ **

 

**_I am Andi Mack._ **

 

**_You may ask, why did I keep it a secret? I was afraid that I’d scare Amber away, because I’ve loved her for years, as more than friends._ **

 

**_All of you might be angry at me. I don’t blame you. But I know that you’re gonna be bugging Amber about this. I am telling you to leave her alone. I don’t care what kind of questions you have, leave her alone._ **

 

**_That’s it for today. Hope I’ll talk to you again._ **

 

Amber turned her phone off.

 

Andi told everyone. It was posted, never to be escaped.

 

Amber opened her computer, seeing the first thing on her feed was an article from Buzzfeed.

 

**_Amber Kippen’s Childhood Friend: Hoax or Not?_ **

 

Amber grabbed her phone again, turning it on and calling Andi.

 

“Andi Mack, speak up,” Andi answered.

 

“What the fuck were you thinking when you posted that thing last night?” Amber scolded.

 

“I couldn’t keep a secret, Amb. It was eating at me,” Andi explained.

 

“Well, now, Lorraine is on my ass. Thanks a lot,” Amber angrily ended the call.

 

Amber had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

 

\--------------------

 

Lorraine had answered many emails from different news outlets. Amber obviously was too lazy to do this herself.

 

Lorraine should have known there was something going on when she asked for those days off.

 

Lorraine was hired by Amber’s parents because, they thought it was best to have a manager with their same views. And Amber apparently a dyke? That’s a big no in their book.

 

Amber had been getting more roles as lesbians or bisexual women. It didn’t sit well with her.

 

Lorraine denied every rumor saying that Amber was gay. Without even letting Amber say them herself.

 

\--------------------

 

Andi paced back and forth. She turned her phone off because of the amount of questions, reblogs, comments and messages being sent to her, only using her laptop to communicate with the GHC.

 

She didn’t mean to hurt Amber. She was only doing what she thought was best. Maybe the way she went wasn’t the best.

 

Andi grabbed a bottle of vodka, not caring about anything else. She always drank when she got depressed, which probably wasn’t the best thing ever.

 

She didn’t even pour herself a glass, she drank it straight from the bottle.

 

She was about to have at her fourth swig when someone knocked on the door.

 

“Not now!” She yelled, starting to get tipsy. The knocking didn’t stop.

 

Andi stood up, wobbling a bit until regaining her balance, and walked to the door.

 

“I don’t want any…” She trailed off when she saw the GHC, Jonah and Walker outside her apartment door. “Oh, it’s you guys.”

 

Buffy stepped forward. “Are you drunk?” She asked.

 

“No, not really. Just tipsy, though,” Andi shrugged. “What’re you doing here?”

 

Everyone let themselves in her apartment. “We heard about what happened with Amber, and we just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Walker explained.

 

“And by the looks of it,” Jonah started. “It looks like you’re not.”

 

Andi nodded.

 

“We rented some movies,” Walker pulled out four movies from his bag. “They’re all cute and animated and shit.”

 

Andi cracked a smile, chuckling a bit.

 

“And we got some cheap beer from the gas station,” Cyrus held up a case of beer.

 

“We got your favorite snacks,” Marty added. “And we ordered pizza.”

 

Andi laughed. “Thank you, guys.”

 

She hugged Buffy, which prompted everyone to hug them.

 

“It’s no problem, Andiman,” Cyrus said, kissing her cheek. She adored it when he showed the platonic love when they were sad.

 

The night was filled with love and friendship. They watched movies until Cyrus was blackout drunk, meaning that it was time to stop.

 

Buffy, Walker and Jonah were asleep, but Marty and Andi were still awake.

 

Andi barely drank, which was a good sign that she was a bit better. Marty never drank due to alcoholism running in his family.

 

“You seem to be happier,” Marty commented.

 

“Yeah. Thank you for coming, I really appreciate it,” Andi replied. “I just felt so stupid for posting the confession.”

 

Marty brought a hand up to Andi’s back, rubbing it gently.

 

“Hey, I get it. But this is all normal. And the fact that you posted that, I find that brave,” Marty said. “And I know that Amber is mad at you, but once she figures out how you wanted it to turn out, she’ll forgive you.”

 

Andi shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll even be surprised if she talks to me again.”

 

Marty sighed. “She just needs to cool down. She’ll talk to you again, I promise.”

 

Andi nodded her head.

 

Marty could sense the tense feeling in the air, and quickly changes the subject. “Okay, how about you get in bed? You had a long day…” He trailed off. “And a long week.”

 

Andi laughed, but crawled underneath the covers.

 

\--------------------

 

Amber had a meeting with Lorraine today. Lorraine wanted to talk about the recent spiral of articles. But Amber didn’t want to talk about that.

 

Amber haphazardly cleaned her apartment, not wanting to impress Lorraine.

 

There is a knock at the door, and Amber groaned, but went to the door to open it anyway.

 

Of course, Lorraine was there, all prim and proper.

 

“Set up in the kitchen,” Amber said bitterly.

 

Lorraine didn’t reply, but walked in to the kitchen.

 

“Okay, we have much to talk about, Amber,” Lorraine returned the bitter tone. “Every news station thinks you’re a dyke, and we need to figure out how to deny it.”

 

Amber rolled her eyes.

 

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” Lorraine said. “This is a big deal.”

 

Amber slammed her hands on the table. “No, it’s not! And stop saying dyke, it’s not okay.”

 

Lorraine gasped.

 

“I’ve been listening to your rude comments for ten years, Lorraine, and I’m sick of hearing them,” Amber yelled. “It’s all degrading, even when I won my first award, you said that my speech was terrible.”

 

Lorraine couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

 

“But I am not a child anymore. I’m 27 years old. I will run my life,” Amber affirmed. “And me running my life means you will not be part of it.”

 

Lorraine scoffed. “Please. You know I have gotten you to where you are now. You cannot live without me.”

 

Amber walked away from her. “Lorraine, you’re the most toxic and degrading person I’ve ever met. And from this day forward, you will not be my manager.”

 

Lorraine stood up from the table. “You’ll regret doing this, Amber.”

 

She stormed off, slamming the door behind her.

 

Amber jumped up and down in happiness. Her first second of freedom felt great.

 

But she felt empty.

 

She needed to call Andi.

 

\--------------------

 

Andi woke up to _Rent_ blaring in her ear. It was too early to talk.

 

But she answered anyway. “Andi Mack, speak up.”

 

“Hey, it’s Amber.”

 

Andi’s heart nearly stopped.

 

“Amber, I…” Andi groaned. “I’m sorry for-”

 

“Let me stop you there,” Amber interrupts. “Can we meet at Sweet & Savory in an hour? I don’t wanna do this over the phone.”

 

Andi looked up at the clock. It was almost eleven o’clock.

 

“Sure,” Andi replied.

 

She ended the call, sighing. Everyone was still asleep from the night before. She stood up from the bed, going to her closet and grabbing a pair of black leggings and a red and black polka-dotted long sleeve t-shirt.

 

Andi went into her bathroom, closing the door behind her and changing out of her pajamas and into her outfit.

 

She grabbed her phone and purse before heading out the door.

 

But before she left the building, Andi sent a text to the GHC group chat.

 

\--------------------

 

Amber got to Sweet & Savory a little early, and ordered for her and Andi, remembering what she got last time.

 

When the coffee came by, Andi entered. She shyly walked to the table and sat down.

 

“So you wanted to talk?” Andi asked.

 

“Andi, I’m so sorry for what I said over the phone. It wasn’t right to blame you,” Amber replied. “I was hungover and Lorraine was stressing me out. But I should have seen it from your perspective.”

 

Andi sighed. “Well, thank you for the apology,” She said. “But what’s going on about… us?”

 

“I was thinking that if you were able to forgive me… maybe we could… go out?” Amber offered.

 

“Amber, I’ve forgiven you. And I’ve loved you for twenty years,” Andi grabbed Amber’s hands. “I will never stop loving you, even if you moved to Mars.”

 

Amber snickered. “So, does this mean that we’re together?”

 

Andi answered by leaning up, and pecking Amber’s lips.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Amber laughed.

 

“So, now that we’ve talked, you wanted to talk to me about something,” Andi said.

 

“Well, I have plans for a new TV show,” Amber took a sip of her mocha. “So it’s… based on us. Our life growing up.”

 

Andi smiled.

 

“I’m the creator and producer, but I’m here to ask you if you want to be executive producer?” Amber asked.

 

“I don’t-”

 

“C’mon, Andiman. I will make sure you’re protected from media.”

 

Andi still wasn’t convinced after what happened the past few days. “I’ll think about it. That sound good?”

 

Amber nodded. “Okay,” She said with a smile.

 

“I can’t believe what’s happened in the past few weeks,” Andi remarked.

 

“Same,” Amber replied. “It feels so surreal. I once had you, lost you and found you again.”

 

Andi felt her heart flutter and as well as her cheeks flushing.

 

“In a crowd of thousands, you found me,” Andi recited. “You said that sometime before you moved. I never thought you would find me.”

 

Amber started crying joyfully right there. “God, I remember that.”

 

“So… do you think this was a journey to the past?” Andi loved it when she made Amber laugh. No matter how emotional they were, hearing Amber giggle or snicker made Andi’s day.

 

“Yeah,” Amber confirmed. “It really has been.”

 

\--------------------

 

**Age 27**

 

Andi and Amber sat next to each other as they looked at the laptop, about to type out a post.

 

Life was great after the Tumblr fiasco. Cyrus and TJ reunited and began dating again. Walker and Jonah’s wedding was beautiful and Buffy and Marty found out they were pregnant.

 

And for Amber and Andi, their show got greenlit by the Freeform channel and the show is premiering in three months.

 

“You ready?” Andi asked. Amber nodded and Andi started typing.

 

**_Hello all! This blog is going to be dedicated to the new Freeform show ‘Twisting Secrets’! The show was created by Amber Kippen, and produced by Andi Mack._ **

 

**_‘Twisting Secrets’ is based on true events._ **

 

**_So here’s the story: Lorelei Cho is a girl who is struggling through life with a struggling family. But when she meets Penny Davis, her world flips upside down. Lorelei tries to find her place while going through the hardships of a high schooler._ **

 

**_Check out the show on Freeform on Fridays at 8/7 central!_ **

 

Andi pressed the post button, and shut the laptop.

 

“We’re doing it, Andiman,” Amber and Andi rested their foreheads against each other.

 

Andi smiled brightly.

 

It was funny that their reunion started in a Tumblr post and the next chapter of their life started in a Tumblr post. It came full circle.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Especially Cass!
> 
> Love, Abbey Elizabeth.


End file.
